Phale secured 11 votes against Namalomba’s five. Namalomba, who serves as the spokesperson of the DPP President, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, wrote on his Facebook about his defeat.
However, Namalomba attributed his loss to alleged voter manipulation by his contender.
“Today I stood for election of Chairperson of Transport and Public Infrastructure Committee of Parliament. Unfortunately I lost 5 to 11 votes to a member from the government side. In a democracy such as ours where those with cash and power, easily find their way into public office, my loss with 5 votes is a big achievement and I thank all my fellow DPP members of Parliament as led by the Leader Opposition for the support they rendered to me. Ine ndilibe golide!!!” wrote the defeated lawmaker.